BUSINESS WIRE
WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avedro, Inc. announced today that the Company’s proprietary Lasik Xtra
procedure has received Canadian Approval. Lasik Xtra is a two minute
procedure used in conjunction with standard Lasik to restore
biomechanical integrity and strength to the cornea after a standard
Lasik procedure. The procedure combines riboflavin ophthalmic solution
with Avedro’s KXL™ System (UVA irradiation) to achieve accelerated
corneal cross-linking during a Lasik procedure.
“Having been the first corneal surgeon to perform laser refractive
surgery in Canada over 20 years ago, I have seen many innovations, and
believe Lasik Xtra to be one of the simplest to perform and most
beneficial to my Lasik patients,” said Dr. Howard Gimbel, Gimbel Eye
Centre, Calgary, Alberta.
"I believe that Lasik Xtra provides long term stability and enhanced
safety for my Lasik patients," said Dr. John Blaylock, Valley Laser Eye
Centre, Abbottsford, British Columbia. "The addition of Lasik Xtra also
broadens the range of patients who may be eligible for the Lasik
procedure."
"Avedro has the only cross-linking products specifically approved in
Canada for performing Lasik Xtra and we are pleased to enable this
procedure for a growing number of ophthalmologists and their Lasik
patients,” said David Muller, PhD, CEO of Avedro.
“I feel there is an added benefit to having Lasik Xtra as its
stabilizing effect “locks-in” a prescription after surgery,” said Dr.
Christoph Kranemann of Clearview Institute, Toronto, Ontario. He notes
that he found there to be a lower incidence of regression in patients
who have had Lasik Xtra. Regression occurs when the cornea attempts to
return to its original shape after surgery and has plagued surgeons for
decades, as it often requires extra “touch-up” surgeries. Dr. Kranemann
says, “For certain people interested in having Lasik, it would almost be
a disservice to not offer Lasik Xtra!”
Lasik Xtra is currently being performed in most provinces in Canada, and
has been used on thousands of patients outside the US.
About Avedro, Inc.
Avedro is a privately held medical device and pharmaceutical company
advancing the science and technology of corneal cross-linking. Avedro
recently completed its US‐based, multi-centered, Phase III studies of
corneal cross-linking for the treatment of progressive keratoconus and
corneal ectasia following refractive surgery. Outside the United States,
Avedro has commercialized both VibeX and its KXL System for performing
Lasik Xtra and accelerated cross-linking. Additionally, Avedro is
developing the science of Thermo‐biomechanics for therapeutic medical
applications. The Keraflex® refractive correction procedure is the first
technology developed from the Thermo‐biomechanics platform and is a
non‐invasive, incision‐less ophthalmic procedure for flattening the
cornea without the removal of tissue. Keraflex offers the unique ability
to induce refractive change without weakening the cornea’s biomechanical
integrity, as happens with Lasik and other refractive correction
procedures. Keraflex is commercially available outside of the United
States.